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Ban Renews Call for Press Freedom

On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, November 2, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, called for safeguarding the right of journalists to speak the truth.
More than 700 journalists have been killed in the last decade - one every five days - simply for bringing news and information to the public, said his message, released by the UN Information Center in Tehran.
Many perish in the conflicts they cover so fearlessly. But all too many have been deliberately silenced for trying to report the truth. Only 7% of such cases are resolved, and less than 1 crime out of 10 is fully investigated, he said.
Such impunity deepens fear among journalists and enables governments to get away with censorship.
“We must do more to combat this trend and make sure that journalists can report freely. Journalists should not have to engage in self-censorship because they fear for their life,” the message said.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the urgent need to protect journalists, and to commemorate the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013.